Universal Quick Connector Apparatus for an LCD Monitor

ABSTRACT

A universal connector apparatus comprising a first component and a second component. The first component is fixedly secured to a housing of an LCD monitor and includes a wedge shaped projection or protrusion and a first electrical connector. The second component forms a docking station and is fixedly secured to any other support surface where the LCD monitor is to be attached and supported from. The second component includes a second electrical connector intended to matingly engage with the first electrical connector. The LCD monitor is attached to the second component by slidably engaging the wedge shaped protrusion or projection of the first component into a wedge shaped recess formed in the second component. This automatically centers the two electrical connectors before they matingly engage one another and prevents damage to the male pins of the male electrical connector. The apparatus enables an LCD monitor to be quickly and easily attached and released from a support surface incorporating the second component so that the monitor may be used at a different location as may be needed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority from U.S.application Ser. No. 12/042,015. filed Mar. 4, 2008, which is acontinuation of and claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No.10/764,572, filed Jan. 27, 2004, which is a continuation of and claimspriority from U.S. application Ser. No. 10/069,151, filed Jun. 20, 2002,which claimed priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/150,307,filed on Aug. 23, 1999.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to LCD systems, and more particularly to an LCDdisplay system which incorporates a quick connect/release connectorapparatus for enabling an LCD monitor to be electrically andmechanically coupled, simultaneously, to a support member, through aquick and easy sliding movement of the LCD monitor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

LCD monitors, have become increasingly popular in a wide variety ofapplications. Such monitors are lightweight, when compared to CRT typemonitors, and therefore much more easily handled by an individual. LCDmonitors are often used in applications where two or more monitors areoften required, such as in the financial industry, where multiple graphsof information need to be viewed in real time. Multiple monitorapplications are also found in use in engineering applications,manufacturing applications, and a wide variety of other applicationswhere a large amount of information needs to be displayed simultaneouslyfor the user(s).

Often such multiple LCD monitor systems are supported on a common arm.The arm is typically held above the worksurface, such as a desk ortable, by a vertical column attached to a base. Frequently the needarises to remove one LCD monitor and use it with a separate workstationarea. Since LCD monitors are still relatively expensive as compared withCRT monitors, and further attached to a display stand to form a singleassembly, it is not possible to easily remove one LCD monitor from adisplay system and connect it to another workstation where the need forthe LCD monitor is more acute. Thus, it is either not possible or highlyimpractical to disconnect LCD monitors from various work areas andreconnect them at workstations where a particularly acute need for theadditional monitor has arisen. The operation of electricallydisconnecting the video cable from the LCD monitor, and thenmechanically uncoupling the LCD from its support or base (if such waseven provided for by the manufacturer of the display system), and thenreconnecting the LCD monitor both electrically and mechanically to adifferent LCD display system and associated computer, would be extremelytime consuming and cumbersome.

The lack of a present day means to conveniently electrically andmechanically mount an LCD monitor, removably, on some form of acooperating docking station thus significantly limits the utility of themonitor by preventing it from being easily removed from use in oneapplication and physically taken by the user to be used in anotherapplication. For example, the lack of such a coupling/connector systemprevents an LCD monitor used with a computer at a user's workplace frombeing easily uncoupled and taken home for use with a home computer.Providing a connector system which would allow quick and easy electricaland mechanically coupling and uncoupling of the LCD monitor would allowit to be easily taken by the user and used wherever it may be needed.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention toprovide a universal connector apparatus which enables an electrical andmechanical connection to be made, generally simultaneously, between anLCD monitor and a docking station of a supporting member, thus allowingthe LCD monitor to be used.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a connectorapparatus for an LCD monitor which is relatively inexpensive to produce,lightweight, compact and which does not require any special tools suchas screwdrivers, pliers, etc., to enable an LCD monitor to be uncoupled,both electrically and mechanically, from a support member.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide auniversal connector apparatus which enables two or more LCD monitors,each having one portion of the connector apparatus, to be electricallyand mechanically coupled, and interchanged as needed, to one or moresecond portions of the connector apparatus. In this manner any number ofLCD monitors could be coupled or interchanged as needed to a supportmember or docking station without any modification to the LCD monitor orthe support member/docking station.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a universal connector apparatus havinga first component and a second component. The first component isintended to be fixedly secured to an LCD monitor on an exterior surfacethereof, and preferably on a rear or bottom portion of a housingthereof. The second component is a mating component which is intended tobe fixedly secured to any form of support member or surface. The firstmember comprises a housing having an electrical connector, preferably amale connector. The second member comprises a housing in the form of acup which has a mating electrical connector, and preferably a femaleconnector, fixedly mounted therein.

The housing of the first component further includes an integrally formedprotrusion which, in one embodiment, comprises a wedge shapedprotrusion. The housing of the second component comprises a recess whichis shaped complementarily to the projection on the first component ofthe connector assembly. Accordingly, when a wedge shaped protrusion isemployed, then a similarly sized wedge shaped recess will be employed inthe housing of the second component.

The electrical connector component mounted within the housing of thesecond component is preferably mounted at the bottom of the recess. Whenthe projection of the first component is slidably inserted into therecess of the second component, both a mechanical and an electricalconnection are made almost simultaneously. If a wedge shaped projectionand recess is employed, the wedge shape provides the added benefit ofautomatically aligning the male and female electrical connectors as theyare slid into mating engagement with one another.

It will be appreciated that the two piece connector apparatus describedabove can be used in a wide variety of applications, such as withinvehicles, on wall mounted monitor support arms, directly on walls, orwherever desired. The only limitation is that the surface that thesecond component is attached to has sufficient area and strength toallow the second component to be fixedly attached to it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various advantages of the present invention will become apparent toone skilled in the art by reading the following specification and byreferencing the following drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a rear area of an LCDmonitor incorporating a preferred embodiment of a first component of theuniversal connector apparatus, and a portion of a support armincorporating a preferred embodiment of a second component of theapparatus, with the two components about to be slidably engaged with oneanother;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the LCD monitor of FIG. 1 about to be slidablyengaged with the support arm through the use of the two connectorcomponents;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the LCD monitor and support arm of FIG. 2coupled together through the use of the connector apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the LCD monitor and support arm of FIG. 3illustrating the slim-line profile of the coupled components;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second component of the connectorapparatus;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the second component coupled to a ball jointassociated with a horizontal support arm of a display base;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative preferred embodiment ofthe first component of the connector apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mating second component for the firstcomponent shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the first component shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the first component of FIG. 7 attachedto a rear area of a housing of an LCD monitor, and ready to be slidablycoupled to the second component of FIG. 8, which is in turn coupled to asupport arm;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the system shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of two LCD monitors being supported on asupport member, where at least the right LCD is coupled to the supportarm through the use of one of the embodiments of the connector apparatusof the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows the display system of FIG. 11 with the right monitoruncoupled from the support arm;

FIG. 14 shows an alternative application of the connector apparatus ofthe present invention being used to releasably couple an LCD monitor tothe rear of a vehicle seat;

FIG. 15 shows another alternative application where an LCD monitor isreleasably coupled to an inside of a vehicle door;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an LCD monitor about to be supported ona vertical wall through the use of the connector apparatus of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an LCD monitor about to be releasablycoupled to a pivoting display arm attached to a wall surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a connector apparatus 10 inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Theconnector apparatus 10 includes a first component 12 which is fixedlyattached to a housing 14 of a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor 16.The first connector 12 is preferably attached to a rear or bottomsurface of the housing 14, but it will be appreciated that the firstcomponent 12 could be secured at other locations on the housing providedsufficient area is available to attach the component 12. A secondconnector component 18 forms a docking station and is attached, in thisembodiment, to a ball joint 20, which is in turn attached to a supportarm 22. The ball joint 20 allows the second component 18 to be moved asneeded relative to the support arm 22 and, therefore, to allow the LCDmonitor 16 to be adjusted for an optimum viewing angle.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the first component 12 includes ahousing 24 having a wedge shaped protrusion 26. Below the wedge shapedprotrusion is an electrical connector 28 which, in this embodiment, isillustrated as a male connector. The second component 18 includes a cupshaped housing 30 within which is disposed a second electrical connector32. A video cable 34 is electrically coupled to the electrical connector32. In this embodiment, the electrical connector 32 comprises a femaleconnector. It will be appreciated, however, that the electricalconnector 28 of the first component 12 could be a female component andthe connector 32 could be a male component.

Referring to FIG. 2, the LCD monitor 16 is shown about to be attached tothe second component 18 of the connector apparatus 10. Arrow 36indicates that the LCD monitor 16 is moved slidably down onto the cupshaped housing 30 to attach the first component 12 to the secondcomponent 18 of the connector apparatus 10. The inter coupled components12 and 18 are illustrated in FIG. 3. When attached as shown in FIG. 3,the first component 12 is disposed generally within the cup shapedhousing 30 and electrically and mechanically coupled to the secondcomponent 18. Second component 18 thus not only allows an electricalconnection to be made with the video cable 34, but also has sufficientstrength to support the entire LCD monitor 16. The attached componentsare also shown in FIG. 4 from a bottom view. FIG. 4 illustrates thegenerally blended, low profile attachment of the first and secondcomponents 12 and 18, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the second component 18 can be seen in greaterdetail. The cup shaped housing 30 has a wedge component 38 adjacent to alower housing portion 40 within which the female electrical connector 32is disposed. A recessed area 42 behind the wedge component 38 provides asmall amount of clearance for a portion of the wedge member 26 whenmember 26 is inserted into the second component 18. The interengagementof the wedge shaped portion 26 and the wedge shaped member 38 serves toautomatically align the male pins of electrical connector 28 (FIG. 1)with the electrical connector 32 when the first component 12 is slidablyattached to the second component 18. Threaded screws 44 can then be usedto even more positively secure the two electrical connectors 28 and 32to one another. The generally low profile arrangement of the secondconnector 18 is shown further in FIG. 6.

The connector apparatus 10 of the present invention thus enables the LCDmonitor 16 to be slidably coupled to a support arm 22 such that theentire LCD monitor 16 can be supported securely. The intercoupling ofthe first and second components 12 and 18, respectively, does notrequire time consuming disassembly or any special tools. When it isdesired to remove the monitor 16 from the cup shaped housing 30 of thesecond component 18, the user merely lifts the LCD monitor 16 upwardlyand the entire unit will slidably disengage from the electricalconnector 32 (provided threaded screws 44 are not engaged with connector28). The wedge shaped components 26 and 38 further ensure that theelectrical connectors 28 and 32 will be perfectly aligned every time theLCD monitor 16 is secured to the second component 18.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, a connector apparatus 50 in accordancewith an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention isshown. The connector apparatus 50 generally comprises a first component52 and a second component 54. The first component 52 is intended to besecured fixedly to a housing portion of an LCD monitor, just as shown inFIG. 1. The second component 54 is similarly intended to be fixedlysecured to any other form of support member which is used to support theLCD monitor attached to the first component 52. The first component 52similarly includes a housing 56 with a wedge shaped protrusion 58projecting therefrom. An electrical connector 60, in this embodiment amale connector, is secured to the housing 56 at the bottom of the wedgeshaped protrusion 58. The orientation of the electrical connector 60 isshown in FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 8, the second component 54 is shown in greater detail.The second component 54 includes a cup shaped housing 62 having acomponent 64 forming a wedge shaped recess 66. An electrical connector68 is disposed within a lower portion 70 of the wedge shaped member 64.Threaded screws 72 may be included or used with the connector 68 to helpsecure the connector 68 to the connector 60.

Securing of the first component 52 to the second component 54 isotherwise identical to the connector apparatus 10. The LCD monitorattached to the first component 52 is positioned adjacent the secondcomponent 54 and then lowered such that the wedge shaped protrusion 58slidably engages within the wedge shaped recess 66. The wedge shapedrecess 66 serves to automatically center and align the connector 60 withthe connector 68 as the first component 52 fully slidably engages thesecond component 54.

With both of the embodiments 10 and 50 of the present invention, it willbe appreciated that electrical connectors 28 and 60, respectively, areeach electrically coupled to the display element of the LCD monitor towhich they are secured. Thus, one side of each of connectors 28 and 60will have electrical conductors in communication with the displayelement. Each of the first components 12 and 52 may be attached to ahousing of an LCD monitor by threaded screws or any other means whichsecurely affixes the body of the component 12 or 52 to a portion of thehousing of the LCD monitor. Alternatively, it may be advantageous toform the first components 12 or 52 with the housing of the LCD monitor.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, the sliding attachment of the firstcomponent 52 with the second component can be seen. The first component52 is shown attached to the LCD monitor 16. Arrow 74 in FIG. 11indicates the direction of movement of the second component 54 relativeto the first component 52 in order to effect attachment of the twocomponents together.

Referring now to FIG. 12, a dual screen LCD monitor system 80 is shownincorporating LCD monitors 82 and 84. LCD monitors 82 and 84 aresupported on a generally horizontally disposed arm 86, which is in turnsupported on a generally vertically disposed column 88. The column 88 isin turn supported on a base 90. In FIG. 13, it can be seen how LCDmonitor 84 can be lifted off of the second component 54 by liftingupwardly on the LCD monitor 84.

In FIG. 14, it can be seen how the second component 54 can be modifiedto omit the cup shaped housing 62 and could be attached to a seat 92within a vehicle to allow LCD monitor 16 to be releasably detached fromthe second component 54 and removed from the vehicle. FIG. 15 similarlyshows the second component 54 attached to an inside of a vehicle door 94which allows the LCD monitor 16 to be removed from its location on avehicle door and taken from the vehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 16, the second component 54 is shown attached to awall 96. The LCD monitor 16 can thus be supported on the wall 96 simplyby dropping the monitor slidably onto the second component 54 such thatthe first and second components 52 and 54, respectively, become slidablyengaged. In FIG. 17, the second component 54 is shown secured to apivotal support arm 98, which is also attached to the wall 96. The LCDmonitor 16 can be attached to the second component 54 as describedhereinbefore.

It will be appreciated then that the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention allow an LCD monitor to be quickly and easily coupledto and uncoupled from a support member without the need for complicateddisassembly procedures. The wedge shaped portions of each of the firstand second components of the present invention further enable theelectrical connectors of the first and second components to be alignedprecisely as the first component attached to the LCD monitor is slidablyengaged with the second component. Thus, there is little or no chancethat the user will damage the male pins of the male electrical connectorduring reattachment of the monitor to the second component.

It will further be appreciated that a principal advantage of theconnector apparatus 10 or 50 of the present invention is that it allowsone LCD monitor to be used at a variety of locations where the secondcomponent of the apparatus is in use. This provides much greaterversatility for an LCD display monitor by allowing it to be used in avariety of environments where the need may arise.

Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoingdescription that the broad teachings of the present invention can beimplemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention hasbeen described in connection with particular examples thereof, the truescope of the invention should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon astudy of the drawings, specification and following claims.

1. A system comprising a display screen and a connector apparatus forallowing quick electrical and mechanical coupling and decoupling of saiddisplay screen to a support member disposed on a rear portion of a carseat, said system comprising: a first component mounted at a surface ofsaid display screen, said first component having a first mating memberand first electrical connector; and a second component mountable to saidsupport member disposed on the rear portion of the car scat, said secondcomponent having a second mating member and a second electrical connect,wherein said first and second mating members have complementary shapesto allow the first mating member to engage onto the second mating memberso that the support member physically supports said display screen,while said first electrical connector concurrently engages with saidsecond electrical connector to also cause electrical coupling of the twoelectrical connectors, wherein the first component is mounted at therear surface of the display screen and the first mating member isallowed to be lowered onto the second mating member.